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TVN Advances HD Transition with Grass Valley Switcher Technology

posted:

23/09/2011

The new Kayenne XL switchers being installed will work alongside Grass Valley Trinix™ routers

TVN, a leading commercial broadcaster in Poland, has taken another major step on its transition to high definition production by equipping its two outside broadcast units with Grass Valley™ Kayenne™ XL production switchers. The new switchers are part of a complement of equipment for the trucks, including Grass Valley HD cameras and routers.

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The Kayenne XL is the ideal platform for an orderly transition to HD, especially in OB vans where space is at a premium. It enables the innovative and highly capable Kayenne XL user panel to utilize all the functionality of the Kayak™ HD switcher frame, which is familiar to operators and engineers at TVN. The company has used Grass Valley switchers for many years, and this continuity allows them to make the most creative use of the new tools as quickly as possible.

“We put the Kayenne XL up against its two big competitors in a very severe comparative test before making our decision,” said Tomasz Berezowski, CTO of the TVN Group.

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“We have worked with TVN for many years, but they made it clear that they would be buying on merit only,” said Jeff Rosica, Executive Vice President at Grass Valley We had to prove to them what we know to be true: that the Grass Valley Kayenne XL puts new creative power at a TD's fingertips, in a device which is completely reliable and intuitive to use.”

The new Kayenne XL switchers being installed will work alongside Grass Valley Trinix™ routers, which have recently been upgraded to the new 3G version to be able to handle 3 Gb/s signals. TVN also has a large pool of Grass Valley LDK 8000 Elite high definition cameras with triax, which can be allocated across its outside broadcast fleet as required.

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“We challenged all the potential suppliers with operational tests and technical questions,” added Bogdan Malecki, TVN Technical Director. “The Grass Valley team demonstrated they had the best solution for the needs of our operational teams.

The contract, which was signed in June 2011, was negotiated by BTS – Broadcast Television Systems, the Grass Valley switchers, cameras and routers distributor in Poland. Both switchers were delivered in August for integration into the trucks. Grass Valley and BTS are also providing operational and technical training as part of the deal.